Supply Chain: Soy

Every day, ADM processes more than 160,000 metric tons of oilseeds. In South America, we are a leading originator and processor of soybeans, so we work cooperatively with fellow industry stakeholders, governments and NGOs to help improve the quality and sustainability of the supply chain as a whole. Among our most notable actions and accomplishments:

To help soybean growers in the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Bahia improve their yields on existing cropland and minimize the need to expand into ecologically sensitive regions, ADM has—since 2009—worked with Aliança da Terra, a Brazilian NGO founded by farmers, to advance a program known as Doing It Right, or Produzindo Certo. Doing It Right works to train farmers on agronomically sound cultivation practices and emphasizes fair labor conditions as part of its overall focus on sustainable, responsible operations that meet or exceed environmental laws and regulations.

Soybean farmers who choose to participate in Doing It Right agree to allow Aliança da Terra technicians to visit their farms, map out the property and analyze the operations. From there, the organization develops a social and environmental action plan for the farmer and recommends a technical training program to help him or her achieve the plan’s goals. After one year, Aliança da Terra returns to the farm to evaluate progress against the plan and determine next steps in consultation with the grower. To date, more than 390,000 hectares of productive farmland have been mapped, and the third phase of the program is expected to increase that total by an additional 325,000 hectares.

In addition, as part of an expansion of the Doing It Right program, ADM and Aliança da Terra have joined Soja Plus, a second soy sustainability initiative being implemented by ABIOVE, the Brazilian vegetable oil industry association, and APROSOJA, a soy and corn producers’ group. Soja Plus will see ADM and Aliança da Terra working with many of the same producers who participate in Doing It Right to promote responsible and effective economic, social and environmental farm-management.